‘Farting’ Lane Sewer Lamp
I was in Covent Garden the other day and decided to take a little detour across the Strand to Carting Lane, which is home to London’s only remaining sewer lamp. The Webb Patent Sewer Gas Lamp was invented in the late 19th century, primarily as a means to burn off smells from the sewers running underneath.
The methane was collected by a small dome in the roof of the sewer, and the gas used to power the continuously-lit street lamp. Apparently this particular example, known as Iron Lilly, was mainly powered by the waste of the guests staying at the Savoy hotel next door. (Carting Lane has the long-held nickname of Farting Lane, presumably because of the sewer lamp and the absolute gift of a pun.)
Unfortunately a reversing lorry managed to mangle the Carting Lane lamp some years ago, but it was restored by engineers from Thames Gas. I’m not sure if the lamp is still powered by the sewer gas - I suspect not - but it certainly was until the 1950s, and as you can see in the photos, it’s still on 24 hours a day (thought I’d give the photos a bit of a faux olde treatment for character - not because it covers up the fact I blew out the sky and background buildings… ahem).
If you want to know more about London’s miasmas, cesspits, sewers and the like, Nik Mortan has written an article on Webb Patent Sewer Gas Lamps, and SwopNet has an interesting three-part article on the history of London’s sewers.
As Nik Morton points out, the lamps were never actually powered by the sewer gas. The lamps were fed by the ordinary town gas supply and worked by creating an intense heat within the hood which drew the air from the sewers below and burned off any impurities. Sheffield had 84 of these lamps, erected between 1914 and 1935. At the last count 22 still remain, of which 3 are kept lit.